Purchase price is a crucial component of any flooring decision, but it’s only a part of the total cost of ownership. Many organizations choose Vinyl Composite Tile by sheer virtue of its low price; but as we’re about to explore, VCT can cost your organization in other ways.

1) Working Environment

The aesthetic and feel of your working environment has a big impact on the productivity and well-being of its occupants, whether they’re employees, teachers, students or patients. Though VCT offers a cost-effective flooring solution, it can struggle to create a comfortable, welcoming environment.

Aesthetics

Thanks to years of use in hospital corridors and waiting rooms, the aesthetic of VCT is often associated with cold, sterile environments. Though there are a plethora of different color and design layouts available, it can be difficult to overcome this association.

Safety

VCT is also much more slippery than carpet, especially when wet (as a result of cleaning, or rain and snow tracked-in from outside). As well as increasing the likelihood of a fall occurring, when compared to carpet, hard surfaces like VCT also result in a higher incidence of injury resulting from those falls.

Temperature and Glare

The use of VCT can also impact other aspects of the working environment. Incorporating high levels of day lighting is an important part of creating a welcoming, comfortable environment, but in bright spaces, VCT can create problems with glare. Similarly, temperature fluctuations can dramatically hinder productivity - and while carpet tiles can have an insulating effect (similar to wall insulation), VCT will do little to maintain a comfortable temperature.

2) Health and Wellness

Indoor air quality is an important concern for many organizations, and hard surface products like VCT are unable to “trap” allergens in the same way that carpet fibers can. When compared to carpeted areas, this results in significantly more particulates in the breathing zone than over a hard surface floor. It’s also harder to extract allergens from areas with VCT flooring, as mopping is far less effective at removing particulates from the floor than vacuuming.

To maintain its appearance, it’s necessary to wax and polish VCT on a regular basis. In areas with heavy foot traffic, this can become a frequent necessity. When combined with the labor intensity of regular mopping, this means that over the course of an 8-hour shift, it’s possible to clean a 21% larger carpeted area than a comparable hard surface.

Weighing-Up

There’s no doubt that VCT is cheaper to purchase than other types of flooring; but over the course of a twenty year lifespan, vinyl composite tile can actually prove harder to live with, and more expensive to maintain.

It’s important to remember that there’s more to flooring choices than the purchase price. Floors are a purchase decision that buyers and occupants will have often have to live with for 5, 10, or 20+ years, and it’s essential to consider how your choice of flooring will impact occupants on a daily basis. Flooring affects everyone from nurses and patients, teachers and students, caretakers and senior living residents, to workspaces and their employees – comfort matters!

With that in mind, if you’re looking for hard surface flooring, luxury vinyl tile will likely be a better choice than VCT; and if you’re not limited to hard surface flooring, you may get more benefit from your flooring investment by choosing carpet tiles.